Anyone has read the book 'the Jesus myth' by Andrew M. Greeley? why some say it is evil?

Question

what is this book about, i can't find it in my bookstores, but i have heard from some of my classmates that it is an evil book

why is that? what is it about? is it a good book?

share your thoughts

Answer 1

I read this book decades ago and don't remember the details.  However it is written by a Catholic priest and is an excellent book about Jesus.  What some people don't understand about it is that the "Myth" of the title is meant in the original sense and not the more current definition.  A myth is a story that communicates to our core being something about what it means to be human in the world.  And Jesus is a living myth in that sense.  (And the book does nothing to detract from the historical Jesus.)  Here is what Greeley says in his preface note:

 

The word "myth" is used in the title of this volume in

a specific and definite sense. A myth is a symbolic story

which demonstrates, in Alan Watts' words, "the inner mean-

ing of the universe and of human life." To say that Jesus

is a myth is not to say that he is a legend but that his

life and message are an attempt to demonstrate "the inner

meaning of the universe and of human life." As Charles

Long puts it, a myth points to the definite manner in

which the world is available for man: "The word and

content of myth are revelations of power." Or as A. K.

Coomaraswamy observes, "Myth embodies the nearest ap-

proach to absolute truth that can be stated in words."

Many Christians have objected to my use of this word

even when I clearly define it specifically. They are ter-

rified by a word which may have even a slight suggestion

of fantasy. However, my usage is the one that is common

among historians of religion, literary critics, and social

scientists. It is a valuable and helpful usage; there is no

other word which conveys what these scholarly traditions

mean when they refer to myth. The Christian would be

well advised to get over his fear of the word and appreciate

how important a tool it can be for understanding the

content of his faith.